Event

SOM Participates in 2019 AIA Conference on Architecture

The annual AIA Conference on Architecture brings together designers from around the world to address the critical challenges facing communities and cities today. The three-day gathering features educational and networking events, seminars, workshops, and an architecture expo.

This year’s A’19 conference, titled “Blueprint for a Better Future,” took place June 6-8 in Las Vegas. With tens of millions of visitors each year, the city is more than just casinos and nightlife, and has become a landscape primed for the level of transformation that influences the future of global architecture trends.

SOM Technical Partner Keith Boswell spoke during two sessions at A’19: “Zero Made Easy: Advanced Energy Design Guidance for Office Buildings,” and “Rethinking the Concrete Building Envelope.” Additionally, Luke Leung, Director of MEP at SOM’s Chicago Office, participated in an A+ Session in the Expo hall at the conference, and SOM Design Partner Leo Chow‘s induction into the AIA College of Fellows was celebrated.

At the conference, five projects designed by SOM, which had been previously announced as AIA award recipients, were recognized. In February 2019, AIA announced the Detroit East Riverfront Framework Plan, Optimo Hat Factory, and the New United States Courthouse as recipients of the 2019 Institute Honor Awards. The Milstein Center was announced as a winner of the AIA/ALA Library Building Award, while UC Santa Barbara’s San Joaquin Villages were announced as a winner of an AIA Housing Award. Additionally, Frank Mahan, who had been announced as a winner of the AIA Young Architects Award, was recognized at the conference.